The present invention relates generally to therapeutic devices or apparatuses that may be used for massage therapy. More particularly, this invention pertains to thermal apparatuses that may be warmed or cooled and used to massage an individual. The invention may also include multiple formations for providing different therapeutic benefits in administering or absorbing heat.
Individuals commonly engage in different types of physical therapy to alleviate pain and discomfort associated with tight muscles. In doing so, physical therapists often are engaged to perform procedures on an individual to relax contracted muscles or otherwise reduce knots in a patient's body. After performing such procedures the physical therapist usually provides instructions on how to maintain muscle fibers in a relaxed state through self-administered massage therapy by the user at home.
There are common commercial electronic massagers on the market which can include vibrating or other mechanical movements that may be used with massage therapy to alleviate muscle pain. Most of these are relatively expensive and require DC or AC current to operate. Alternatives to such devices include non-electrical massage devices of a variety of shapes and sizes. Some individuals utilize recreational sporting balls such as tennis balls or lacrosse balls to administer massage therapy to themselves. For example, an individual may utilize a tennis ball within a sock to administer massage therapy to either the user's neck or back. In doing so, a user may stand up against a wall with a tennis ball within a sock between the user's back and the wall to massage different parts of the back. While this device can provide some type of massage therapy, there is much lacking in its design.
What is needed, then, is a thermal therapeutic device that can administer or absorb heat while providing massage therapy to a user. In addition, it is desired to have a specific resistance or rigidity so that the therapeutic device provides sufficient force and resistance in massaging a user's body.